Ale lamb bolognese is so incredibly satisfying to cook a while it’s pouring outside! Especially when you have a few more bottles of the same ale to drink while cooking.
This is a flavor loaded ground lamb sauce with dark ale which cooks low and slow while the two main ingredients literally imbibe each other. Our beer of choice is 90 Shilling – one of Odell Brewing Co.’s flagship ales. Everyone around here knows 90 Shilling and they also know that in reality it doesn’t look red like in the picture on the brewery’s site:). It is a beautiful dark amber color, it is fragrant, it is sweet and toasty, and it is medium bodied and crisp. As in you can have a few if you had to, without any effort.
90 Shilling is a lighter version of traditional Scottish ales (ahem, do you see why we picked it on a rainy, foggy day?) and it never disappoints. As a recipe ingredient it is perfect to use with a variety of foods.
As for the choice of pasta for this sauce – you have to go papardelle or another wide strand variety. You need to have wonderful al dente wide bands with which to mop up the deliciousness.
This sauce is best cooked in a Dutch oven and the only reason you do not see it in the one I made it was the complete abscence of light. It’s hard to photograph food in dutch ovens when using artificial light and I had to go there because of the prolific rainy weather we have been having. Bad,lwo light. I transferred the sauce to a smaller sauce pan for the picture and totally hurried through the process, because when something smells and looks this delicious no one is too happy holding up a daylight lamp and shining it onto a set up.
Ale Lamb Bolognese with Pappardelle
You won't believe the beautiful flavors an amber ale can impart on this sauce until you make it. Serve with al dente pappardelle and pair with the same beer.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1/2 lb pappardelle
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced very small
- 1 amber or other ale with dry finish and low IBU, i.e. not bitter
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/4 cup dry mushrooms
- 1/2 cup good quality tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated plus more for garnish
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Put the thyme, bay leaf, rosemary and garlic in the middle of a piece of cheesecloth and make an herb sachet using kitchen string.
- Heat a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed deep pan over medium-high heat.
- Melt 1 tbsp of the butter and cook the ground lamb, making sure it is browned all over.
- Add the onion and carrot, stir well and cook until they begin to get soft.
- Add the beer and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Bring to boil and add the water.
- Add the herb sachet.
- Add the mushrooms and tomato sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir well and cover.
- Let simmer over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, checking once in a while to stir.
- In about an hour, cook pasta in pot of salted water.
- When ready (7 min for al dente), strain, reserving some of the water.
- Remove the herb sachet form the sauce, add the Parmesan and other 1 tbsp butter and stir. If too thick, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water and stir until nice and creamy.
- Add pasta to sauce and stir well.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 533Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 444mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 34g
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
1. The temperature outside is in the single digits. 2. It’s Friday. 3. I need a pick-me-up, preferably involving comfort food and copious amounts of adult beverages. THEREFORE, this ale lamb bolognese with pappardelle and beer glazed carrots is HAPPENING (with ale on the side, of course). I can’t wait!
CraftBeering says
Thank you, Michelle! You are in for a tasty meal:)
Heather says
This looks SO delicious! Do you think it would be just as good with a cider? My boyfriend is actually allergic to beer. D:
CraftBeering says
This sounds very interesting! The acidity of the cider will open up new flavors. I’d try it to find out! Thank you for stopping by, Heather!
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
Oh yes…rainy day….ale lamb bolognese!! That’s hard to beat !
CraftBeering says
Thanks Marvellina:)
Miz Helen says
Your Lamb Bolognese is just beautiful and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a fantastic weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
CraftBeering says
Thank you Miz Helen! We only make lamb Bolognese with beer, it really makes for amazing flavors:)
[email protected] says
Oh man – I shudder at the thought of how many ‘tempid’ meals my family has endured so I could get the shot! That was in my earlier days of blogging…I’ve learned! I love that you served beer glazed carrots as a side! And that sauce – fuggedaboutit!
CraftBeering says
Thanks Annie!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
Pappardelle are the perfect pasta for a Bolognese ragu sauce, and yours sounds intriguing. We need to cook with beer more often! As for ravioli…. we make killer ravioli 😉 . Better to take fewer pictures and eat a warm plate of pasta, definitely! 🙂
CraftBeering says
Thank you Nicoletta, I envy you for all the pasta awesomeness in your guys’ lives:)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I mainly only get a chance to take pics on the weekend so I usually try to do then and be mindful of my lighting. We haven’t had the best weather here lately so it’s definitely a task to get decent pics! Oh well….least the food tastes good, right 😉 ?
That’s so funny with you not being able to eat wide pasta. I hadn’t heard that before. I could eat all sorts of pasta, but the one thing that makes me gag is egg shell. Seriously, if I get egg shell in anything, watch out. So so so gross to me. Can’t even.
Anyway, this Bolognese! Sounds absolutely delicious and love that you used lamb here. Bolognese is one of my favourite things. It’s just something so comforting about it! We usually have ours with wine (in the recipe and to drink with), but going to have to try beer next time. Those carrots sound lovely too!
CraftBeering says
Yep! There is something about the dried mushrooms, the lamb and the toasty, sweet flavors of the ale that just works! We usually make the beef version with wine too.
I know about the pasta…I am the person who has never had actual lasagna. Only veggie versions or, more embarrassingly, lasagna where the pasta has been painstakingly removed. I am not sure the second one qualifies:)
Those egg shell bits – I can relate!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I absolutely feel your artificial lighting pain, Milena! But oooohhhh those carrots look so good! And you cannot go wrong with papardelle. . .I just love a nice wide noodle 🙂
CraftBeering says
You and I both, haha! Real daylight is the best.